PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J G Gomez

Publications and source records attributed to J G Gomez.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Polyhydroxyalkanoate-accumulating bacterium isolated from soil of a sugar-cane plantation in Brazil.

Strain IPT101T, isolated from the soil of a sugar-cane plantation in Brazil, was analysed in a polyphasic taxonomic study. The strain produces polyhydroxyalkanoates from sucrose and other carbon sources. Morphological, physiological and biochemical data as well as 16S rDNA, whole-cell protein and fatty acid analyses indicated that strain IPT101T represents a new species in the genus Burkholderia. The name Burkholderia sacchari sp. nov. is proposed, with strain IPT101T (= LMG 19450T = CCT 6771T) as the type strain.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2000

Propionic acid metabolism and poly-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate (P3HB-co-3HV) production by Burkholderia sp.

Mutants of Burkholderia sp. that are unable to grow on propionic acid (prp) but still accumulate P3HB-co-3HV from carbohydrate and propionic acid were studied. In shaken flask tests, yields of 3HV from propionic acid (Y(3HV/Prop)) increased from 0.10 g g(-1) in the wild type to c.a. 0.35 g g(-1) in mutants affected in alpha-oxidation pathway or to 0.80 g g(-1) in mutants not affected in that pathway. In bioreactor tests, mutant IPT 189 showed Y(3HV/Prop) = 1.20 g g(-1), a yield very close to the theoretical maximum of 1.35 g g(-1). Accumulation of 3HV units from unrelated carbon sources was undetectable in these mutants indicating that 3HV units are produced directly from propionic acid. Thus, the industrial use of those mutants to produce the copolymer from sucrose and propionic acid could significantly reduce the production costs. The results strongly suggest the existence of at least two pathways that are involved in the oxidation of propionic acid in Burkholderia sp. Their rates would be modulated by the availability of propionic acid.

Bioreactors↗
PubMed1995

Was Julius Caesar's epilepsy due to a brain tumor?

Two thousand thirty-eight years later, in the setting of a similar care presentation, a physician would take a detailed history and perform a clinical and neurological examination. A preliminary diagnosis would be entertained and followed by electroencephalography and magnetic resonance of the brain with and without paramagnetic contrast for diagnostic confirmation. The proper medical or surgical treatment would then be instituted. A reconstruction of the clinical history of Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.) has been attempted from available information from literature. Although a definite conclusion obviously cannot be made, a differential diagnosis provided with a tentative hypothesis is presented. The patient had late onset of seizures in the last two years of his life, headaches, personality changes. Upon reexamination of existing Julius Caesar iconography, busts, statues and minted coins no skull deformities have been noted. Identification of a skull deformity as described by Suetonius would have confirmed the suspicion of meningioma involving the convexity of the cerebral hemispheres. Meningioma or slow-growing supratentorial glioma may well have been responsible for this man's illness. Who knows how the course of history might have been changed... Probably not at all.

Brain Neoplasms↗
PubMed1993

Conjoined lumbosacral nerve roots.

Conjoined lumbosacral nerve roots is a congenital anomaly that may produce lumbosciatic pain. When symptomatic and undiagnosed, it may be one of the causes of failed back syndrome. Diagnosis with water-soluble contrast myelography has a frequency of 4%. Anatomical studies have shown to have an incidence of 14%. High quality Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) with coronal views may reveal this condition without recurring to computed tomography (CT)-myelography. In this paper we describe our recent experience with five consecutive cases observed during a one year period.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMed1985

A variant of cerebral glioma called pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma: case report.

A newly recognized type of cerebral astrocytoma has been described in the last 5 years among patients under the age of 30. The designation of pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma has been suggested for this neoplasm on the basis of its unique histological features. These include abundant lipid droplets in the astrocytic cytoplasm. We report an additional case of this cerebral hemisphere astrocytoma, which (in common with 17 others reported before) occurred in a young patient. His postoperative course has been benign and he remains ambulatory and almost symptom-free 9 years after the initial tumor excision. The diagnosis of pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma should be entertained in patients in whom a superficially placed intracerebral tumor (i.e., one that seems to be in contact with the meninges) develops during the juvenile years.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Lumbar intervertebral discolysis with collagenase.

This study reports a series of 52 patients with herniated discs, selected as refractory to conservative therapy, who were treated under an experimental protocol with the enzyme collagenase (Nucleolysin) instilled into the disc percutaneously. A 78% success rate was achieved in those patients receiving a dose of 600 units. There were no systemic or local toxic effects. The patients were followed for up to two years with only one recurrence. Failures appeared to be associated with disc extrusion.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Prevalence of epilepsy in Bogota, Colombia.

A combined epidemiologic, clinical, and electroencephalographic study of epilepsy was undertaken in Bogota by the Neurological Institute of Colombia, the Colombian Institute of Health, and the Department of Health of the City of Bogota. The prevalence of epilepsy on December 31, 1974, was 19.5 per 1,000, the highest rate for general populations reported in the literature. The prevalence was significantly higher for females than for males, 22.9 per 1,000 compared with 15.5 per 1,000.

Adolescent↗